After leaving Eri's apartment, Ran took Akashi out for breakfast.
As the two walked down the street, they drew attention from the women and older ladies passing by. Their gazes lingered on Akashi, admiration and fascination clearly written on their faces.
'This succubus physique is too awesome!'
The charm Akashi exuded was simply irresistible to the opposite sex, which didn't go unnoticed by Ran. Her protective instincts kicked in as she tightened her grip on his hand, refusing to let go even for a moment.
"Akashi," she said seriously, "you must stay close to Big sister. Don't let go, no matter what."
Akashi nodded, feeling a mixture of gratitude and unease.
'This is getting out of hand.'
He glanced at the women around him, their gazes a little too predatory for comfort. Then, he looked down at his own slender arms and legs.
'If I were alone, I'd be doomed.'
Thankfully, Ran was by his side—a karate powerhouse capable of smashing telephone poles with her bare hands. With her around, safety seemed… relatively assured.
Still, Akashi couldn't help but mutter internally: 'System, when will you give me some real self-defense skills? I'm practically a walking target like this!'
---
"Sister Ran, where are we going now?" Akashi asked as they continued walking.
"We're heading to a classmate's house," Ran replied. "He went to the amusement park with me yesterday, but I couldn't reach him last night. I'm a little worried, so I'm going to check on him."
She paused before adding with a hint of pride, "He's a high school detective!"
Hearing this, Akashi froze, his expression stiffening.
'So, the plot begins!'
It hit him immediately—yesterday was the day Kudo Shinichi became Conan!
Which meant…
'Gin and Vodka first went to Tropical Land to complete their deal, knocked out Kudo Shinichi, and fed him the poison. Then they headed to Tokyo Bay to deal with me. These bastards are really busy.'
But something felt off. In the anime, Ran went looking for Kudo Shinichi the same night he became Conan. Now, it was the next day.
'So, there are slight differences between this world and the anime's timeline,' Akashi thought, mentally preparing himself for what lay ahead.
---
Along the way, the duo had to fend off numerous women and older ladies trying to strike up conversations or take pictures with Akashi.
By the time they reached Kudo Shinichi's house, Ran let out a relieved sigh.
"I really didn't expect you to be so popular, Akashi," she said, shaking her head. "So many older sisters wanted to talk to you—and even take pictures!"
Akashi was speechless.
'Popular?'
'That wasn't admiration—they're just greedy for my body!'
He sighed internally. 'Without Ran here, I wouldn't even be able to walk down the street safely. I really need some self-defense skills ASAP.'
Finally, his attention turned to the building before them—a grand, luxurious villa. The iconic Kudo residence from the anime stood tall, just as he remembered it.
Excitement bubbled up as he thought to himself: 'System, it's time to clock in!'
A soft click echoed in his mind. The system's interface appeared, displaying a photo of Ran holding his hand in front of the Kudo residence.
The image shimmered with purple-gold light, eventually merging into a treasure chest.
With a flash, the chest opened, and two streams of light surged into Akashi's mind.
『Ding! Check-in successful. Congratulations, Host! Rewards: Pear God Throw lv1, Imported Sugar lv1.』
『Pear God Throw skill upgraded: lv1 → lv2.』
『Ding! Congratulations! The host's chance of you falling unexpectedly, as well as the likelihood of women around you falling into precarious situations have increased.』
『Imported Sugar lv1: Host's saliva is now exceptionally sweet and carries a therapeutic effect.』
Akashi's jaw dropped.
'What in the…?'
His frustration boiled over. 'What kind of system is this?! I asked for self-defense skills, and you give me… sweet saliva?!'
He groaned internally, his thoughts in disarray. 'This is absurd! Outrageous! Completely useless!'
But before he could dwell further, Ran tugged on his hand, urging him forward.
"Come on, Akashi," she said cheerfully. "Let's check if Shinichi's home!"
The probability of falling was already unnervingly high—and now it had increased?
As Ran led Akashi up the stairs, his sense of caution spiked.
'Falling down the stairs would be a disaster. I really don't want to deal with that.'
Ran, meanwhile, focused on calling out for someone.
"Shinichi! Shinichi, are you home?"
The two ascended to the second floor without incident, much to Akashi's relief.
'At least no falls... yet.'
But as they reached the landing, Ran paused. She heard faint noises coming from the study.
She immediately walked toward the sound, pulling Akashi along by the hand.
Akashi, however, quickly noticed Dr. Agasa peeking out from behind the door.
Ran didn't notice the doctor. Her focus was on the sound coming from the desk.
Releasing Akashi's hand, she approached cautiously.
The next moment, a small figure emerged from under the desk.
Blue suit, gray shorts, glasses—it was unmistakably Conan!
However, the sight of him crawling out like a mouse startled Ran.
"Aah!" Ran yelped, her voice echoing in the room as she instinctively stumbled backward. Her footing faltered, and before she could regain her balance, she toppled over.
Akashi, who had been standing behind her, found himself in the unfortunate line of fire.
The two fell in an ungraceful heap, and to his absolute dismay—and utter disbelief—Ran landed squarely on his face, her soft curves pressing against him with unerring precision.
*Ran let out a startled yelp as her backside hit Akashi's face, his body cushioning her fall.
*She could feel every inch of his face against hers, from the curve of his nose to the contour of his jawline.
*She tried to push herself up, but her arms felt weak and shaky. Instead, she ended up pressing herself even harder against Akashi, her curvy derriere squishing against him.
*Ran couldn't help but grind her hips against him, just a little, as she tried to find her balance.
*This movement surprisingly caused a jolt of pleasure to shoot through her.
---
'Duang! Duang!'
Akashi swore he could hear comical sound effects ringing in his head as he lay there, his senses overwhelmed and his thoughts scrambled.
*He froze, his breath catching in his throat as he felt Ran's body pressing against him.
*Her round backside was nestled against his face, and he could feel the heat of her core even through her clothes.
Panic set in as his survival instincts kicked into high gear. He struggled to push her away, his hands pressing against her soft, yielding form.
But his efforts were weak, almost laughable against her weight. His hand inadvertently landed on the curve of her plush backside, which gave a soft bounce under his touch, drawing a startled yelp from Ran.
'Five points of strength? Completely useless! I can't move a fully developed girl at all!'
Despite all his caution, he still couldn't avoid disaster.
From his vantage point, Conan's jaw dropped, his expression one of sheer astonishment.
In his shock, the lenses of his glasses even popped out and fell to the ground.
Dr. Agasa hurried over to help lift Ran off Akashi, with Conan assisting.
Ran stood up, her face slightly red. Instead of acknowledging her own embarrassment, she turned her attention to Akashi with immediate concern.
"Akashi! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Ran exclaimed, mortified at her clumsiness.*
Akashi, though unscathed, smiled reassuringly.
"Sister Ran, it's fine. I'm okay. Were you hurt?"
His 22-point physique was far sturdier than that of an ordinary adult. What was a mere fall compared to the disasters he'd already survived?
Still, he feigned a bit of vulnerability, his cheeks slightly flushed.
"I'll be fine after a short rest. Don't blame yourself, Sister Ran. It wasn't your fault."
His sensible and forgiving demeanor only made Ran feel worse.
'What a sweet and understanding little brother!' she thought, guilt welling up inside her.
He had been knocked over because of her clumsiness, yet he was the one comforting her.
Turning to Conan, Ran's expression hardened into a scowl.
"Hey, you! Why were you hiding here and scaring people?" she snapped. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have fallen! Who even are you, and why are you in Shinichi's house?"
Conan winced under the verbal barrage, rendered momentarily speechless.
'It's not like I did it on purpose!'
Still, it was hard to argue when Ran had technically fallen because of him.
'This kid...'
Conan glanced at Akashi, a mix of envy and disbelief flashing across his face.
'Why is this little guy so lucky?'
Ran's frustration boiled over when Conan didn't immediately answer. "I'm talking to you! Stop staring and explain yourself!"
Panicked, Conan stumbled back, his shoulders brushing against the bookshelf behind him. His eyes darted to the book titles as inspiration struck.
"My name is Conan—Edogawa Conan," he declared quickly. "I'm… I'm a distant relative of Big Brother Shinichi!"
Ran's expression softened slightly, though she still eyed him suspiciously.
Meanwhile, Akashi stood silently, observing the scene.
'So, the gears of fate begin to turn.'